Lots of events ahead to remember King

There are several events over the next few days to celebrate and commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which will be observed Jan. 19. Here is a list of events ahead for Charleston’s observance, considered the state’s largest tribute to the slain civil rights leader:

• Panel discussion: 7 p.m., Jan. 15, Brith Sholom Beth Israel, 182 Rutledge Ave., Charleston. The discussion is entitled, “Remembering the Civil Rights Movement from the Black and Jewish Perspective.”

• 43rd annual MLK Ecumenical Service: 4 p.m., Jan. 18, Morris Street Baptist Church, Charleston. Retired Ambassador James Gadsden, a Charleston native, will keynote the service and also receive the Harvey Gantt Triumph Award, presented by U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. In the 1960s at Charles A. Brown High School, Clyburn, then a teacher, mentored Gadsdew, who went on to serve as ambassador to Iceland.

• MLK Holiday Parade: 11 a.m. Jan. 19, downtown Charleston from Burke High School, ending at Marion Square. The parade will be televised on WCBD television.
• Youth speak-out, poetry slam: 12:30 a.m., Jan. 19, College of Charleston Science auditorium, 202 Calhoun Street, Charleston. There will be an open-mike and cash prizes. To register, go online here.

• 15th annual MLK Business and Professional Breakfast: 7:30 a.m., Jan. 20, Marriott Hotel, Charleston. Some 700 top corporate and civic leaders will attend the event which will feature speaker Arnold Donald, CEO of the Carnival Corporation. Dr. Mary Thornley, head of Trident Technical College, will get the newly-created Joseph P. Riley Jr. Vision Award, which also will be awarded posthumously to the late Ted Stern, past president of the College of Charleston.

Before today, other events were a Jan. 10 diversity celebration in North Charleston and worship services across the county on Jan. 11.

Also in the news:

• New name: The South Carolina Aging in Place Coalition has a new name, but the same mission. It’s now a chapter of the National Aging in Place Council and remains a nonprofit dedicated to supporting people as they prepare to age in place independently. It is the national organization’s only organization in South Carolina. “With the backing of a national organization like the National Aging in Place Council, we can learn from the best aging in place practices and will have more resources and information we can share with the Charleston community,” said chapter chair Barbara Franklin in a news release.

• TTC students recognized: A total of 24 Trident Technical Colleges were recognized by Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges for 2015. Selected for academic standing, activities and community service, those selected were: Linda Ash, Grace Bolin, Victoria Brewer, Katelyn Bridge, Brenden Britton, Tiffany Buchanan, Shelly Clifton, Gina Corley, Elizabeth Daughtry, Cynthia Dayton-Simers, Aimee Erkman, Justine Gardiner, Margaret Gombus, Tracie Hopkins, Aimee Kuhn, Sandy Molina, Tami Nielson, Kenneth Plymel, Terrence Reed, Martha Robbins, Chelsea Thomas, Laura Thomas and Jonathan Wigfall.